Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including the Supreme Court blocked Republican lawmakers from contesting a ruling that found they had gerrymandered Virginia voting districts to hurt black voters; Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro shifted his focus to housing challenges facing Americans that he says have worsened under President Donald Trump; A new study found that an ancient farming community roughly 9,000 years ago faced shockingly modern problems, and more.

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National

Virginia voters persuaded a federal judge in 2017 that 11 of the 12 election districts pictured in this 2011 map were racially gerrymandered by Republican lawmakers. (Image via Virginia’s Public Access Project)

1.) The Supreme Court blocked Republican lawmakers 5-4 on Monday from contesting a ruling that found they had gerrymandered Virginia voting districts to hurt black voters.

Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro speaks during a FOX News Channel town hall event, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

2.) Flexing his muscle as the former head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro shifted his focus Monday to a familiar issue: housing challenges facing Americans that he says have worsened under President Donald Trump.

This map shows the proposed location for the uranium mine and the surrounding rivers, which serve as a drinking water source for many communities. (Image via Southern Environmental Law Center)

3.) Upholding a law that prohibits uranium mining in Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Monday that federal law does not pre-empt the state ban.

This courtroom sketch depicts former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, center in a wheelchair, during his sentencing hearing in federal court before judge T.S. Ellis III in Alexandria, Va., Thursday, March 7, 2019. Manafort was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax and bank fraud related to his work advising Ukrainian politicians, a significant break from sentencing guidelines that called for a 20-year prison term. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

4.) In a decision that could have implications for convicted former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that a person can face state and federal prosecution over the same criminal conduct.

Regional

Tenants belonging to the Inquilinos Unidos de los Cinco Puntos Association wrap up a march through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Lincoln Heights to protest rent increases of up to 40% and at least 16 unlawful detainer or eviction notices filed by their landlord. (John Tapia Urquiza / Sin Turistas)

5.) Nearly a third of Los Angeles renters spend over half their income on rent. It’s a startling figure that housing advocates say is directly connected to the homeless crisis but has gone largely untouched over the decades as rent has outpaced wages.

Law enforcement officers attend to an injured shooter in a parking lot after he fired shots at the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas, Monday, June 17, 2019. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) MANDATORY CREDIT, NO SALES, MAGS OUT, TV OUT, INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY

6.) Dallas police said a suspected shooter has died after being taken into custody at the downtown federal courthouse early Monday morning following an exchange of gunfire.

Science

7.) The question of how clouds form in Mars’ atmosphere may have been answered in a new study released Monday: meteors.

8.) An ancient farming community roughly 9,000 years ago faced shockingly modern problems, a new study released Monday has discovered.

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